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Twisted Sister guitarist contemplates band's end after drummer's death

By:
WENN.com
Mar 25, 2015

Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French fears the sudden death of drummer A.J. Pero will signal the end for the glam rockers. Pero suffered a massive heart attack and died while touring the U.S. with Adrenaline Mob last week (ends20Mar15), and although frontman Dee Snider has assured fans the band will continue and perform in the late rocker's memory, guitarist French is not so sure.
He tells rock DJ Eddie Trunk, "We've got to sit down and plan what we're going to do, because we've got this DVD in Vegas that's supposed to be filmed at the end of May. The band's thinking about putting a plan together to figure out if maybe it's time to bow out.
"We're going to discuss the near term, which is the concert in Vegas on May 30th, then we'll discuss getting through the shows in Europe this year. And then we'll talk about the long term which is, 'Is 2016 going to be a statement year for us?' It's the 40th anniversary of me, Dee and Eddie Ojeda getting together. It may be time.
"We are trying to confront the reality of it because I don't want to be in this forever."
French also reveals Pero told him he was struggling with shoulder issues before he hit the road with Adrenaline Mob, and he was planning to have surgery to correct the problem once the tour ended.
French adds, "He said, 'There's one thing you have to know. My shoulder's been bothering me and I'm leaving the Adrenaline Mob tour. So when you hear I'm not on the tour, there's no problem - it's just my shoulder. I'll get into rehab in the summer'. I think that shoulder pain wasn't the muscle strain - it was indicative of something far worse."

Fans of Quentin Tarantino's films have come to expect certain things from his films. Whether that expectation is excessive violence, long camera shots, a barefoot woman, clever dialogue, fake product placement, or just a slew of four-letter words, Tarantino rarely ever fails his audiences. To celebrate one of our favorite filmmakers, we take a look at 30 facts about his movies you may not know. Trust us, this is just the tip of the iceberg in this case though.
1. Quentin Tarantino wrote the part of Jules in Pulp Fiction specifically for Samuel L. Jackson after seeing him audition for Reservoir Dogs.
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Jackson had auditioned for the role of the man who trains Mr. Orange, but the part eventually went to Randy Brooks.
2. Inglourious Basterds star Eli Roth has claimed he was able to get into the mindset of the violent "Bear Jew" character because of the costumes.
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He's admitted that "wool underwear will make you want to kill anything" and also the music of Hannah Montana, which his girlfriend added to his iPod. It somehow filled him with the rage he needed to wield his baseball bat.
3. While filming Django Unchained, Leonardo DiCaprio had to stop filming at one point as he struggled using so many racial slurs.
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Samuel L. Jackson responded by pulling him aside and saying, "Motherf**ker, this is just another Tuesday for us."
4. Daryl Hannah's Kill Bill character, Elle Driver, has the code name "California Mountain Kingsnake." In fact, hers is the only Deadly Viper Assassination Squad code name that isn't a venomous snake.
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The name is fitting since she also isn't able to poison The Bride when she's in the hospital because Bill calls her before she can.
5. The iconic dance scene featuring Uma Thurman and John Travolta at Jack Rabbit Slim's is copied as an homage to Federico Fellini's 8½.
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6. According to Tarantino, German-born actor Til Schweiger (Sgt. Stiglitz) had always refused film roles that required him to don a Nazi uniform; he only agreed for Inglourious Basterds because he would be ["doin' one thing and one thing only,] killin' Nazis."
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7. At the very beginning of Kill Bill's O-Ren Ishii fight scene, Lucy Liu, in Japanese, says, "I hope you've saved your energy. If you haven't, you may not last 5 minutes."
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It is then exactly 4 minutes and 59 seconds until the fatal blow of the scene.
8. The cops who appear at the hospital in Death Proof after Stuntman Mike's first crash are played by real life father-son duo Michael Parks and James Parks.
Miramax Films
They're also the officers who respond to the wedding day massacre in Kill Bill. Michael Parks was first introduced as police officer Earl McGraw in the Tarantino-penned From Dusk Till Dawn; his son, James, was introduced as Deputy Edgar McGraw in From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money. Neither of their characters survive in the From Dusk Till Dawn films.
9. The real name of the Mr. Blonde character from Reservoir Dogs, played by Michael Madsen, is Vic Vega. Vega is also the last name of John Travolta's character Vince in Pulp Fiction.
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Tarantino has stated that the characters are brothers whom he intended to make a prequel about. The film, Double V Vega, has been abandoned since both Madsen and Travolta aged too much to do a prequel.
10. The closing credits of Jackie Brown gives special thanks to "Bert D'Angelo's Daughter," which is a reference to Tarantino's then-girlfriend, Mira Sorvino.
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In the 1970s, Paul Sorvino starred in the detective TV show Bert D'Angelo, Superstar, which makes Mira "Bert D'Angelo's Daughter." Mira herself can be spotted, out of focus, in the back of the courtroom during Jackie's arraignment.
11. Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington's characters in Django Unchained are intended to be descendants of John Shaft from the Shaft films, which would explain Washington's character's name: Broomhilda Von Schaft.
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12. In Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson's character, Jules, has a "Bad Mother F**ker" wallet that belongs to Tarantino in real life.
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The inscription is an earlier reference to Shaft and its theme song. Jackson would go on to star as Shaft in the 2000 remake.
13. Kill Bill was Quentin Tarantino's first feature-length film to have fewer than 100 instances of the word "f*ck."
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It pops up in the film a mere 17 times. Reservoir Dogs has 272, Pulp Fiction has 265 instances, and the later-released Death Proof boasts 148 in its extended cut.
14. We'll never find out why Inglourious Basterds is spelled the way it is.
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Tarantino has said, "Here's the thing. I'm never going to explain that. You do an artistic flourish like that, and to explain it would just take the piss out of it and invalidate the whole stroke in the first place."
15. The scene in Pulp Fiction when Vince plunges the adrenalin shot into Mia's chest was filmed by having John Travolta remove the needle, which was already in place, from Uma Thurman's chest and then running the film in reverse.
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If you watch very closely, you can see a mark disappear from Mia's chest.
16. Death Proof has a stronger relationship to Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich than you realized.
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In the first crash scene of Death Proof, the four girls discuss and listen to the music of Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich. Musician Eddie Cochran died in 1960 after being thrown through the windshield of his taxi. David Harman, a young police cadet overseeing the investigation surrounding the crash, ended up teaching himself guitar on Cochran's impounded Gretsch from the wreck. Harman would later be known by a different name: Dave Dee, of Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich.
17. Even though The Bride's name isn't revealed to audiences until Kill Bill Vol. 2, 'Beatrix Kiddo' is visible on her plane ticket to Okinawa in the first film.
Miramax Films
This is one of the movie's little Easter eggs, along with the sole of her shoe saying "F*CK U."
18. Reservoir Dogs star Kirk Baltz asked to ride in Michael Madsen's trunk to understand what the experience would really be like. Madsen agreed, but, while driving, he decided it was an ideal opportunity to get into character himself.
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He subsequently drove down a long alley plagued with potholes and through a Taco Bell drive-thru before returning to the lot and releasing his co-star. The soda his character is drinking in his first appearance in the warehouse is the same one he bought himself at the drive-thru.
19. That's really Leonardo DiCaprio's blood in Django Unchained!
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When Calvin Candie smashes his hand down on the dinner table in Django Unchained, actor Leonardo DiCaprio really broke a glass under his hand and began to bleed. He stayed in character, however, and continued with the scene, eventually smearing his blood all over Kerry Washington's face. When the scene ended, Leo received a standing ovation from everyone on set, and this was the take that ended up in the final cut.
20. In Inglourious Basterds, Shosanna Dreyfus' father, who was briefly seen hiding beneath the floorboards, was played by Swiss actor Patrick Elias.
Universal Pictures
Elias' father, Buddy, is a first cousin of Anne Frank.
21. Pam Grier had tested for the part of Jody in Pulp Fiction, but it eventually went to Rosanna Arquette. Tarantino never forgot her though, and he eventually crafted the role of Jackie Brown specifically for her.
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In fact, the titular character was initially a white woman named Jackie Burke.
22. Every character killed onscreen, with the exception of the anime scene, in the Kill Bill movies met their fate at the hands of a woman.
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Elle killed Budd and Pai Mei; O-Ren Ishii killed Boss Tanaka; Gogo killed that Tokyo businessman; The Bride, of course, killed Vernita Green, Buck, Gogo, the Crazy 88s, O-Ren Ishii, and, yes, Bill.
23. Even though she liked the movie, Madonna sent Tarantino a copy of her Erotica album with a note that read, "To Quentin, it's not about dick. It's about love. Madonna."
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The note is a reference to the opening conversation of Reservoir Dogs where the characters discuss the meaning of "Like A Virgin."
24. Tarantino came up with the idea for Death Proof afer buying a Volvo because he "didn't want to die in some auto accident like the one in Pulp Fiction."
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His friend joked in response to Quentin's preference for the safe vehicle by saying, "you could take any car and give it to a stunt team, and for $10,000 or $15,000, they can death-proof it for you," and the phrase stuck with Tarantino ever since.
25. Initially, Tarantino couldn't decide which character he wanted to play in Pulp Fiction.
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He was between Jimmie and Lance, but opted for Jimmie once he realized he wanted to be behind the camera during Mia's overdose.
26. Chiaki Kuriyama, the actress who plays Gogo in Kill Bill, accidentally hit Quentin Tarantino in the head with her meteor hammer while he was filming that scene.
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27. Jules' iconic Bible passage was mostly made up by Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson.
"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee" is the only part that's even similar to what's in the scriptures. The righteous man and the shepherd? Not real.
28. At the end of Inglourious Basterds, Brad Pitt's character pretends to be an Italian actor named "Enzo Girolami," which sounds a little familiar...
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Enzo Girolami is the birth name of the director of the 1978 film, The Inglorious Bastards (Enzo G. Castellari).
29. As part of John Travolta's "research" into heroin addiction for the role of Vincent Vega, he (and his wife, happy to help) lined tequila shots along the edge of his hotel hot tub and drank them all while soaking in the hot water.
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Tarantino had referred Travolta to a recovering addict, who gave this piece of advice: "If you want to get the 'bottom envelope' feeling of that, get plastered on Tequila, and lie down in a hot pool. Then you will have barely touched the feeling of what it might be like to be on heroin."
30. Uma Thurman initially rejected the role of Mia Wallace.
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In order to get her to sign on to Pulp Fiction, a desperate Tarantino read her the script over the phone and convinced her. It was during the filming of the 1994 classic that the pair began to develop the concept of Kill Bill. Uma was given the script, along with the offer for the role of "The Bride," as a 30th birthday present from Tarantino.
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The fan bases of Parks and Recreation and The Office tend to overlap because let's face it, they are very similar. But if you really put the two sitcoms head to head, only one comes out on top. Of course I'm talking about the one that came first—The Office. Not 100 percent on board yet? Here are 10 ways that prove Michael Scott is better than Leslie Knope and the rest of her crew!
1. The long history between Jim and Pam definitely led to a bigger pay off once they finally got together.
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Leslie and Ben are cute, but the history and chemistry just doesn't measure up.
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2. When Jim acknowledged the camera, it was usually funny and used to point out how outrageous his co-workers are.
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When April does it, it's just creepy and points out her own weirdness.
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3. Everyone on Parks and Recreation bullies Jerry/Terry/Larry/Gary. They don't even call him by his real name!
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Sometimes Phyllis got the short end of the stick, other times it was Toby, and sometimes it was Kevin. Either way there was a balance and therefore feels more like a family.
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4. Michael Scott really loves his job, but he is really bad at it most of the time, which is funny.
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Leslie is really loves her job and is really good at it, so it's anti-climatic.
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5. Ron Swanson claims he doesn't care about his job.
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But we all know who does apathetic best.
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6. Chris Pratt plays the idiot and it can be funny and adorable.
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But Kevin's voice being so close to The Cookie Monster makes him the funnier one.
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7. April singing "The Pit" was touching only because what it meant, but we would never listen to it again.
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When Andy sang "Take A Chance On Me" with his group it was really sweet, sounded good, and didn't make us miss Michael Scott for a little while.
NBC Universal Television/YouTube
8. The Office taps into how we feel about most of our jobs. Working at a paper company in a world that is using less paper? That's pretty tragic...and funny.
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On the other hand Leslie, Ben, and Chris love their jobs too much to be relatable.
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9. Pam and Jim were awesome because they came up with clever pranks together.
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April and Andy's role play on the other wasn't ever as cute or clever.
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10. The complicated friendship and rivalry between Jim and Dwight is legendary.
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Sorry Leslie and Ann, but you didn't have as much fun as them.
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Which show do you think is better? Tweet us your answers to the Twitter handles below!
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Grease is the best. It's a classic in the world of movie musicals. Everyone has seen it, or at least a scene or two, at some point in their life. But there's a lot more to this 1978 film based on a musical set in the 1950's than you thought. We all know that Jeff Conaway (RIP) played Danny Zuko on Broadway and John Tavolta was Doody, but did you know Elvis was offered a role?
1. Elvis was initially offered a role in the film.
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It is believed he would play the Guardian Angel role, but he did not accept.
2. Grease is the highest-grossing film of 1978.
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Grease is the word.
3. In "Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee" they changed the reference and it has a freaky coincidence.
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In the stage play, the song had a reference to Sal Mineo, who was murdered in 1976. For the movie, they changed the lyric to "Elvis, Elvis, let me be! Keep that pelvis far from me!" In reference to Elvis Presley, who died the same day the scene was filmed. The day was August 16, 1977.
4. There is a little tribute to the Three Stooges in the film.
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The boys who played Doody (Barry Pearl), Sonny (Michael Tucci), and Putzie (Kelly Ward) all went to director Randal Kleiser with their idea and got it approved for the film during the bonfire scene.
5. All of the cast members were too old for high school.
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John Travolta was 23, Jeff Conaway was 26, and Stockard Channing was 33 (older than Dennis C. Stewart A.K.A. Crater face or Leo, Leader of the Scorpions, who was 30). The two closest to high school age were Lorenzo Lamas (Tom) and Dinah Manoff (Marty), they were both 19.
6. A "Hickey From Kenickie" was 100% real.
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Stockard Channing said in an interview that Jeff Conaway insisted on applying the hickeys himself.
7. "Hopelessly Devoted to You" was written after filming wrapped.
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The producers felt that Olivia Newton-John needed a huge ballad for the film. This song actually ended up receiving an Academy Award nomination.
8. In the stage production, "Greased Lighting" is not sung by Danny.
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It's sung by Kenickie, but John Travolta convinced the producers to let him sing it.
9. Danny's blue wind-breaker was a nod to James Dean.
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Like his red wind-breaker from Rebel Without A Cause (1955).
10. Lucille Ball is the reason her daughter was not cast as Rizzo and the part went to Stockard Channing.
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Lucie Arnaz was dropped from consideration after Lucille Ball called and said "I used to own that studio; my daughter's not doing a screen test!" But actually, she owned the studio Desilu which was bought by Paramount.
11. Cast members got sick from filming the drag race scene.
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When filming near the bridge, the water there was stagnant and dangerous, causing some of the cast to become ill from it's filth.
12. That fight scene between Rizzo and Kenickie would have made sense but...
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...the scene explaining it got cut. They filmed a scene, where the couple got into a heated argument, before the diner scene but it was pulled due to it's grittiness. It was compared to something Martin Scorsese might have directed.
13. The first time John Travolta met Olivia Newton-John was at her house.
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He was a huge fan of hers (he basically was the #1 supporter of her being Sandy) and was very star struck when he met her, having not reached a huge level of success yet.
14. During the filming of "Greased Lightning" Jeff Conaway injured his back.
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And the injury led to his abuse of prescription medication and downward path. He was dropped by fellow cast members during filming. This information was not publicly known until Conaway's appearance on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
15. Olivia Newton-John's pants were so tight when filming "You're The One That I Want," that the zipper was broken.
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She had to be sewn into her pants every morning.
16. John Travolta had to talk Olivia into filming that song.
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She admit on the Merv Griffin Show that she was terrified of it.
17. Jeff Conaway came up with the idea of how to blow off Danny and Kenickie's hug.
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Conaway said that in 50's, two guys hugging, "forget about it!" So he suggested that after, they comb their hair and pretend it never happened.
18. The film takes place in 1958.
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20 years before the actual release date on June 1, 1978 (in the U.S.).
19. In the stage production of the show, Sandy's last name is Dumbrowski.
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But because Olivia Newton-John was cast, they changed her background to match her Australian one.
20. One song cut from the film is actually played in the background.
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The "Alma Mater/Parody" instrumental from the stage version of Grease can be heard in the office on the last day of school and during the carnival scenes.
21. It took a week to shoot the dance contest.
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They were on location in a real school at the time in downtown L.A. Originally Sandy was not intended to dance in this scene, it was meant to be just Danny and Cha Cha. It was reputedly 116 degrees during filming. Several extras suffered heat-related illness.
22. But it took only one day to film "You're The One That I Want"/the end scene.
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It was filmed with a traveling carnival that was there only for the day. The next day, director Randal Kleiser wanted to film some extra close-ups, but the carnival had left, so they had to recreate pieces of that set to accomplish it.
23. Olivia Newton-John attended the premiere in a prom dress.
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And then for the after party, she changed into her "Sandy 2" look, which was hot pink spandex.
24. That plastic wrap moment in "Greased Lighting" is actually a reference to condoms.
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Yup.
25. There was a planned sequel, by the title Summer School, completely different from Grease 2.
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Paramount later nixed the idea and we sadly got Grease 2 in 1982. This orignal sequel plan grew out of Coach Calhoun's line "See you in summer school" to a student before he is hit with a pie in the carnival scene near the end.
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Veteran British actor Warren Clarke has died, aged 67. The A Clockwork Orange star passed away in his sleep after a "short illness", according to his representatives at the Independent Talent Group.
Clarke shot to fame in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 dystopian movie and went on to work with its star Malcolm McDowell on two more projects, 1973 film O Lucky Man! and 1985 TV movie Gulag.
He also appeared in Charlton Heston's epic Antony and Cleopatra in 1972, Enigma with Martin Sheen, 1984 war spoof Top Secret!, and Clint Eastwood's 1982 action movie Firefox.
Clarke also carved out a successful career in British TV, appearing in hit U.K. shows such as Coronation Street, The Jewel in the Crown, Blackadder, and Hammer House of Horror, but he is best known for his long-running role as Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel in crime show Dalziel and Pascoe. The series ran from 1996 until 2007.
At the time of his death, Clarke had been due to appear in a new adaptation of Poldark. He is believed to have completed filming earlier this year (14) ahead of a planned broadcast in 2015.
Following the sad news, Clarke's fellow British stars took to Twitter.com to pay tribute to the beloved actor.
Withnail & I star Richard E. Grant wrote, "Shocked to hear that Warren Clarke has died. Worked with him twice and shared a holiday in the Caribbean. Hilarious and irreverent", and Quadrophenia actor Phil Davis added, "Very sad to hear that Warren Clarke died yesterday. We did Moving Stories together in the 90s and recently Poldark. A fine actor, lovely man."
Actor Reece Shearsmith wrote, "RIP Warren Clarke. A very funny and lovely man", screen star David Morrissey tweeted, "So sad to hear about the death of Warren Clarke. He was a very special man/a great actor. We had wonderful times together on Red Riding. RIP", and comedian Jack Dee added, "Really sad news that Warren Clarke has died. A brilliant, funny and generous man who was a joy to work with."

Late thespian Ruby Dee will be honoured by the Broadway community on Friday night (13Jun14) when the lights outside the Great White Way's theatres are dimmed in her memory. The actress, who starred in several Broadway hits, died on Wednesday night (11Jun14).
Broadway's lights will be dimmed for one minute.
Charlotte St. Martin, the executive director of the Broadway League, says, "Ruby Dee inspired so many people both on stage and off. At the Tony Awards last Sunday, both Audra McDonald and Kenny Leon paid tribute to Ruby Dee during their acceptance speeches.
"I've long admired Ruby Dee's talent as a performer and her tireless activism for civil rights. Our thoughts are with her family and she will be deeply missed."

20th Century Fox via Everett Collection
Throughout his career, James Cameron has explored the verdant valleys of Pandora and the post-apocalyptic streets of Los Angeles, but his next adventure might take place somewhere that's a little more familiar. Cameron has commissioned scribe David S. Goyer to write a treatment for a remake of the 1966 classic, Fantastic Voyage. In the original film, a group of scientists miniaturize themselves and enter the body of a fellow scientist to remove a blood clot from his brain, but they only have an hour to do so before the process reverses itself and un-shrinnks them. If you've spent a single Saturday morning watching cartoons over the past 30 years, that plot should sound terribly familiar. Every cartoon worth its salt had done at least one Fantastic Voyage parody episode (some have done several, in fact). It's almost a rite of passage. Flinging through the leaky canals of the body and dodging over-eager immune systems is material that's just begging to be animated. We've decided to collect some of our favorite Fantastic Voyage cartoon parodies from over the years.
The Magic School BusEpisode: "For Lunch," "Inside Ralphie," "Goes Cellular," "Works Out," and "Makes a Stink."Ms. Frizzle has taken her class on many field trips spelunking through the human body. Arnold, Ralphie, Janet, and even Ms. Frizzle herself have turned into the subject of a field trip in various episodes.
Captain Planet and the PlaneteersEpisode: "An Inside Job"The planeteers shrink themselves in order to battle microbes inside Kwame.
The SimpsonsEpisode: "Treehouse of Horror XV"The Simpsons clan go after Maggie after she is accidentally ingested by Mr. Burns.
FuturamaEpisode: "Parasites Lost"After Fry eats a disgustingly old egg salad sandwich, Professor Farnsworth make miniature robotic version of themselves to ward off an infestation of super smart parasites.
Family GuyEpisode: "Emission Impossible"Stewie infiltrates Peter's body in order to stop his parents from having another child.
Dexter’s LaboratoryEpisode:"Fantastic Boyage"Dexter tries to enter Dee Dee's body to find the cure of the common cold, but he ends up inside the dog by mistake.
Phineas and FerbEpisode: "Journey to the Center of Candace"In a reverse of the Dexter's Laboratory plot, Phineas and Ferb try to enter the body of a dog, but accidentally end up in the body of their sister.
Pinky and the BrainEpisode: "Brainwashed Part 1: Brain, Brain Go Away"Pinky and the Brain shrink themselves in order to foil an evil plot, but get eaten by the wrong guy.
Batman: The Brave and the BoldEpisode: "Journey to the Center of the Bat"After Batman is struck down with a mysterious disease, the Atom and Aquaman shrink themselves to combat the illness.
Rick and MortyEpisode: "Anatomy Park"Morty creates a Jurassic Park-style amusement park inside the body of the homeless man. He shrinks Morty and himself to save his creation once the homeless man starts to die.
The Fairly Odd ParentsEpisode: "Tiny Timmy"Wanda and Cosmo shrink Timmy so they can explore the body of his evil babysitter, Vicky. Vicky's body soon starts attacking the foreign invaders.
Spongebob SquarepantsEpisode: "Squidtastic Voyage"With the help of Sandy, Patrick and Spongebob use a shrinking submarine to enter Squidward's body and retrieve a clarinet reed.
Regular ShowEpisode: "Cool Cubed"Mordecai and Rigby travel inside Thomas to thaw his brain out after a slushie gives him a vicious brain-freeze.
ArthurEpisode: "Buster's Breathless"Buster gives his friends a tour of his body so they can learn about asthma.
RugratsEpisode: "The Inside Story"The babies travel inside Chucky after he swallows a watermelon seed, thinking a watermelon will grow inside the toddlers stomach.
Osmosis JonesThis film is basically one long Fantastic Voyage parody. White blood cell/detective Osmosis Jones and his cold pill partner Drix battle a malicious virus inside the moist caverns of Bill Murray. The film also spawned a spin-off television series.
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Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox via Everett Collection
When the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII was finally revealed on Tuesday after months of rumors and speculation, the Internet's reaction quickly switched from one of excitement to one of confusion. “Hang on a second,” everyone said, “where are all the women?”
Of the seven new actors added to the franchise, only one of them, Daisy Ridley, is a woman. And while her inclusion means that Episode VII has twice as many female leads as the original trilogy (thanks to Carrie Fisher reprising her role as Princess Leia), the female population of that galaxy far, far away is desperately lacking in representation. Director J.J. Abrams does seem to be attempting to balance out the cast, though, as The Hollywood Reporter revealed that he’s still looking for another female lead, and though no information has been released about the role yet, some are speculating that it could be the same part that producers met with Lupita Nyong’o about just before the Oscars.
But just opening up more roles for women in the franchise isn’t enough to fix the standing issues with its female characters. The films’ lack of women has long been a point of contention among fans and critics, many of whom were hoping that Abrams would diversify the universe when he took the helm. But the quality of female roles is just as much of a problem as the quantity of women present. Thus far, none of the films have featured more than one female lead, and while she was given plenty of depth attention, her like-gendered supporting players were one-dimensional and got a minimal amount of screen time. All of which means that even though we might be getting another female lead, there’s still no way to predict how well Star Wars VII will handle its female characters. There hasn’t been much in the Star Wars cinematic universe to suggest that this new character will be just as three-dimensional and compelling as the one that Ridley is set to play, or vice versa.
There’s no doubt that Leia is a great female character, but the few other women who appeared in the films were as well-rounded or interesting. Similarly, Padme Amidala was given plenty of attention in the Prequel Trilogy, but it’s hard to name another female character off the top of our heads that had the same amount of depth or development (maybe Yaddle). The odds are stacked against Episode VII when it comes to female roles, and even though Abrams seems to be taking steps to bring more women into the franchise, he doesn’t have the greatest track record with multiple interesting female characters either.
His most recent sci-fi franchise, Star Trek, does have a great female lead in Uhura, who is just as complex and engaging as the men she works with on the Enterprise. The other female characters, however, haven’t fared as well. The two only two other women who played a major role in the films’ plots both unnecessarily appeared in their underwear: Gaila, the green girl who spent the night with Kirk, and Carol Marcus, whose nudity was used to liven up a bit of exposition. Even though Carol played a much larger role in the film than Gaila did, she was primarily there as a plot point to help reveal Admiral Marcus’ betrayal and give his battle with the Enterprise an added layer of emotion. That lack of dimension frustrated many fans, who felt that she didn’t add anything to the film overall and were insulted by the fact that her primary function was to look pretty. It would have been easy to give Carol some depth – after all, she’s a science officer whose father turned out to be the enemy – but it seemed as if the films didn’t think they could support two interesting female characters.
Abrams’ TV shows haven’t done much to disprove that theory, either. Even though Alias centered on the compelling, complex Sydney Bristow, there weren’t any other female characters that received the same kind of attention. Most of the female characters that did play a major role on the show died, leaving Sydney surrounded by a supporting cast of men. His most recent show, Fringe, also had issues with developing female characters, as Astrid’s personal life and background weren’t explored with much depth, despite her being one of the leads on the show.
None of this bodes particularly well for the way female characters will be handled in Episode VII. Since she was cast first, it’s likely that Ridley’s character will be playing the Leia-role this time around, while the character that has yet to be cast will be more of a secondary, supporting lead. Based on the way those female supporting roles have been treated by Abrams and the Star Wars franchise, it’s hard to feel a great deal of confidence that we’ll see a second woman with just as much character development and depth as Ridley’s.
It’s easy to find blockbusters that are filled with female characters that exist to play the hero’s girlfriend or add some sex appeal to what would otherwise be a film dominated by guys. Star Wars has the opportunity to put female characters at the forefront of a major franchise, characters that are just as interesting and exciting and complex as the men. To simply ignore that opportunity in order to stick with the “one woman” rule that the original trilogy established is pointless and it’s insulting to the legions of female fans who have waited to see more women given the chance to shine in these films. The Expanded Universe is filled with well-written female characters, many of whom, like Mara Jade and Jaina Solo, are fan favorites. Star Wars fans want to see more women brought to the forefront of the series, both in numbers and in complexity.
The news that Episode VII plans to add more female characters is a good thing, even if it does feel a little bit like damage control right now. But just casting more women isn’t enough if it means that most of them are relegated to looking pretty in the background. We want to be excited about the film and the new female characters, but it's hard to muster up any enthusiasm for the same old thing we've seen already in blockbuster after blockbuster.
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It's good to be Lupita Nyong'o right now. In between winning over film critics, the fashion elite, and the general public with her poise and charm, the Oscar winner reportedly met with director J.J. Abrams to discuss taking on the female lead in the upcoming Star Wars film. Since the script is still being kept tightly under wraps, it's unclear whether the role in question would see Nyong'o playing a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which has been described as a "non-Caucasian" role, or whether she is in talks for another part.
If Nyong'o does get a major part in the movie, it could be the role that she needs in order to capitalize on her Oscar buzz and cement herself as an A-List actress. Since she is still a relative newcomer, the earliest post-Oscar roles she chooses will have a major effect on her career trajectory. Many actors who have taken home a trophy only to disappear from the public consciousness thanks to disappointing follow-up films.
Despite her film 12 Years a Slave winning Best Picture, there is still a significant portion of the population (including some Oscar voters) who haven't seen the movie. As such, taking a role in such a major, mainstream franchise like Star Wars would keep Nyong'o at the focus of moviegoers' attention and expose her talent to people who might not have seen her act yet. And since the character will likely be a very different turn from Patsey, it would also allow her to showcase the range of her talent.
In addition, if the new Star Wars installment is well-received by fans and critics — since it is all but guaranteed to do well at the box office — it would prove that Nyong'o is capable of carrying a film, which would put her in contention for more leading roles. Studios are usually hesitant to take a risk on allowing up-and-coming actors to be the cornerstone of a big-budget picture, unless either the franchise or the star has proven to be successful in the past. Although Nyong'o has shown herself to be an exceptional supporting actress, playing the lead in a successful blockbuster opens her up to more opportunities and roles, for both supporting and leading roles. Essentially, Star Wars would put Nyong'o in the conversation as a leading lady as well as a key emesemble player, which would mean bigger and better parts in both mainstream and indie films.
However, the film being a major success could have some issues for Nyong'o as well. Because studios often prefer to stick with formulas that they know will be successful, Nyong'o could find herself only being offered roles in action movies, which, again, would make establishing herself as an A-List actress very difficult, especially since there are generally fewer female-fronted action films than there are one with male leads. There's also the fact that almost all of the actors who have starred in the Star Wars franchise have struggled to break out from the shadow of the space fantasy giant. From the Original Trilogy, only Harrison Ford was really able to shake off Han Solo — which was largely due to a starring role in another major franchise — while Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are still primarily remembered in relation to Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, and Billy Dee Williams will forever be Lando Calrissian to the general public.
Even Hayden Christensen saw his career stall after playing Anakin Skywaker in the prequels, despite having earned critical acclaim in films like Life as a House and Shattered Glass. But he was unable to capitalize on that momentum, and that, combined with a great deal of derision from Star Wars fans concering the way the character was handled, resulted in Anakin being his last major, successful role. Although there are several Star Wars actors who have been able to avoid being typecast, they have usually signed on to the series after establishing their careers. Nyong'o, being a newcomer, could be more likely to become conflated with her character, especially since she hasn't been in the public's awareness long enough for many people to have already formed a perception of her.
But although the majority of Star Wars actors have become permanently associated with their characters, that doesn't mean it would be impossible for Nyong'o to break away from the franchise. Both Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman joined the series with a few critically-acclaimed credits under their belts, but allowed the Star Wars franchise to break them through to genuine stardom. By following the films up with diverse, interesting roles, they were able to shake off Obi-Wan and Padme, respectively, in order to become established and acclaimed actors in their own right. If Nyong'o manages to follow in their footsteps, she would likely be able to side-step the epic franchise trap and continue to become a well-respected actress with an impressive resume.
She already seems to be on that path: in addition to the Star Wars role, she was in talks to play Tiger Lily in Joe Wright's Pan, and she's reportedly being looked at for a major part in an upcoming courtroom drama opposite Daniel Craig, so it shouldn't be a problem for her to follow up Star Wars with something completely different. In general, it seems that the best course of action for Nyong'o is to look for diverse, compelling roles in order to prove to both her fans and critics that she is capable of tackling a wide variety of roles.
Recent Oscar winners are always under a great deal of pressure to keep the momentum going after awards season wraps up, and since Nyong'o is so new on the scene, her choices of roles will be scrutinized even more closely than usual. A lead in the latest Star Wars film is a big step forward for her, career-wise, and as long as she is able to avoid getting stuck in a rut, we should be able to look forward to many more incredible performances from Nyong'o in the future. And if worse comes to worse, she should be able to buy herself some goodwill and acclaim with a few more exceptional fashion moments. Nobody can wear a gown quite like she can.
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British actress Sarah Marshall has lost her battle with cancer at the age of 80. Marshall, who was the daughter of British actors Herbert Marshall and Edna Best, began her film career in 1958 alongside Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in the movie adaptation of William Faulkner's The Long, Hot Summer.
She was best known for her theatre and musical roles, appearing in productions like A.R. Gurney's Children with Constance Cummings, Applause with Lauren Bacall and Neil Simon's The Gingerbread Lady with Elaine Stritch.
She was nominated for a Tony Award in 1960 for her role as Rusty Mayerling in Goodbye, Charlie and she received a New York Drama Critics Award for playing Bonnie Dee Ponder in The Ponder Heart.
In addition to her stage and film work, the actress also starred in several TV shows and miniseries, including The Bunker with Anthony Hopkins, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Star Trek and The Twilight Zone.